Persian Tahchin Saffron Rice Cake

by Cathy Katin-Grazzini

Tahchins are gorgeous crispy, saffron-infused baked rice cakes, typically filled with chicken and made with yogurt, butter, oil, and eggs.

Photos: Giordano Katin-Grazzini Not this one. This low-fat, vegan tahchin is aromatic with warm spices and orange and layered with fruits and a sprinkling of almonds and pistachios. Tahchin, like any great dish, takes time to make, but it’s sure worth it! Persian in spirit, this tahchin will fill your home with intoxicatingly wonderful aromas of orange, rose, and saffron and makes a delicious and beautiful centerpiece for any Persian meal.

Prep time: 1 hour to soak the rice, make the orange purée, steep the saffron tea, and strain the soy yogurt, plus 1 hour to prepare the filling, parcook the rice, and compose the cake Bake time: 1 hour 10 minutes Makes: an 8-inch cake, 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups brown basmati rice, washed thoroughly and soaked for 1 hour • 1 teaspoon good quality saffron threads, pulverized and steeped (see instructions below) • 1 organic orange, trimmed, quartered, each quarter then halved • ½ organic lemon, trimmed and quartered • 3 Tablespoons date paste from ½ cup pitted dates, any variety • 1 flax egg from 1 Tablespoon freshly ground golden flaxseed mixed with 3 Tablespoons water • 1 Tablespoon Persian Advieh Berenj spice blend • 1 ¼ cups water • 1/3 cup almond flakes • 1/3 cup unsalted shelled pistacchio nuts • 1 cup dried unsulfured apricots, cut in 1/4-inch strips • ½ cup dried bing cherries • ½ cup dried unsweetened cranberries, oil-free if possible • 2 cups orange juice • ¼ fresh barberries, if available, or ¼ cup dried barberries, soaked and drained • ¼ cup fresh pomegranate arils • 2 cups unsweetened soy yogurt, strained for 1 hour • 1 Tablespoon arrowroot • 1-2 teaspoons shiro (mild, white) miso paste, or to taste

Directions

1) To make the rice, wash in a large bowlful of water and rinse several times, until the water is clear. Refill with cool water and soak for 1 hour. To cook, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the brown basmati rice.

Cook over a low boil for 10 minutes and test. The rice cooks quickly and we only want to parcook it here.

Drain, cool completely in a bowl of water. Drain and set aside. 2) To prepare the saffron threads, pulverize into a powder using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. There are two methods to “bloom” saffron into a tea for optimal aroma and flavor: Either steep the ground pistils in a 1/2 cup hot water bath, or add 4 ice cubes to the saffron powder and allow them to slowly melt. 3) To make the date paste, add the dates to a small pot, cover barely with water, simmer for 5 minutes.

Alternatively, add them to a small bowl, just cover with water, and microwave for 2 minutes. Cool. Use a blender to purée the dates with only as much of their soaking water as necessary to make a dense, uniform paste. 4) To make the orange purée, trim the top and bottom pithy ends of the orange and ½ lemon. Transfer to a pot and add the water, date paste, 1 teaspoon of saffron tea, and 1 teaspoon of the advieh berenj spice blend. Cover and simmer on low, for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the fruit is extremely soft, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly and blend on high to make a velvety smooth, fragrant, purée. 5) I find it tastiest and most nutritious to use homemade soy yogurt, a live probiotic, for this dish. To strain the yogurt, simply spoon it onto a 12-inch or larger square of unbleached muslin. Gather up the corners to form a sack and tie it shut with string. Suspend the yogurt bag or place it in a strainer over a bowl, allowing its liquid to drain through the cloth. Allow it to strain and thicken for 1 hour.

6) To make the flax egg, grind the flaxseed in a spice or coffee grinder into a powder. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir or whisk in 3 tablespoons of water. Set aside. The “egg” will soon congeal into a soft paste. 7) If using dry barberries, soak them in lukewarm water for about 15 minutes, drain, set aside. 8) Now let’s cook the fruit and nuts. Heat a large skillet over medium heat-low for 3 minutes. Add the almonds and pistacchios, stirring constantly until they are fragrant and lightly toasted. Add the apricots, cherries, and cranberries, stirring as they soften in a few minutes. Stir in the orange juice, 2 teaspoons of saffron tea, and 1 teaspoon of the advieh berenj spice blend. Cover. Lower heat to gently simmer for an hour, during which time the fruit and nuts will absorb the seasonings and juice and become soft and plump. Uncover, stir in the fresh or reconstituted barberries, remove the pan from the heat. When cool, stir in the pomegranate arils. 9) To compose the cake cut out 2 parchment disks to line the bottom and top of an 8-inch springform pan.

Cut a 2 ½-inch wide strip of parchment to line the sides of the pan. 10) Preheat the oven to 400°F and place a rack in the middle of the oven. 11) In a bowl mix 3 heaping tablespoons of the yogurt with 1 tablespoon of saffron tea, and 1 cup of the parcooked rice. Spoon this mix onto the bottom and sides of the pan, as best you can. 12) Now in a larger bowl mix the rest of the soy yogurt with the rest of the saffron tea, 2 teaspoons of advieh berej spice blend, the flax egg, shiro miso, if using, and arrowroot. Stir in the remaining parcooked rice and using clean hands, mix it until well combined. The rice mix should be moist and a little sticky which will enable it to bind together into the tahchin cake. 13) Add an inch of the rice mix to the pan, smoothing it flat and gently pressing it to eliminate any voids.

Follow with a 1/2-inch layer of the mixed cooked fruits and nuts, leaving a ¾-inch gap along the pan’s walls. Repeat with another layer of rice and fruit. Finish with the remaining rice. We will use the remaining fruit to decorate the tahchin right before slicing and serving. Cover the pan with the second parchment disk, and press down lightly over the rice mix. Cover tightly with aluminum foil or a lid. 14) Bake for 1 hour. Raise the temperature to 500°F and move the tahchin to the lowest possible oven rack for the final 10 minutes of baking. 15) Remove from the oven, and place the pan on a cooling rack, removing the foil/lid and upper parchment disk. When sufficiently cool to handle, place a serving plate over the pan and holding it firmly on top and bottom, flip the pan over. Center the cake on the plate, open the springform and remove the pan’s sides, bottom, and the second parchment disk. Allow the tahchin to cool almost completely (you can speed this process with a small fan). Before serving, decorate the top with the remaining cooked fruits and nuts. The tahchin will slice beautifully.

Persian Rice Spice Blend (Advieh Berenj)

by Cathy Katin-Grazzini Persian dishes are full of aromatic, floral notes from spices, fruits, fresh herbs, nuts, and flowers. And to season them, Persians have devised spice blends for every occasion. Here is one variation of advieh berenj. Used to season Persian-inspired rice dishes (polow), advieh berenj can lend Persian pizazz to other whole grains and pilafs too. Climate-friendly, and anti-inflammatory, its aroma is simply heavenly. Hint: For the most potent aroma, flavor, and nutritional punch, grind whole spices fresh before you make your dish. The essential oils in spices will degrade before long once they are ground. Prep time 10 minutes | Makes about 1/3 cup

Ingredients

• 1 ½ Tablespoons food-grade rose petals • 1 Tablespoon Ceylon (true) cinnamon from 1 five-inch quill • 2 teaspoons coriander seeds • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds • ½ teaspoon green cardamom seeds • ½ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated • ¼ teaspoon cloves • ¼ teaspoon white peppercorns

Directions

Combine the petals and spices in the bowl of a coffee or spice grinder and grind into a powder, grinding in batches if necessary. Use soon after, storing any excess in a lidded spice jar in the fridge or a cool, dark cupboard.